Christmas Open Thread

[rude_not_ginger]

•deck•the•halls•

• THE DOCTOR LEARNS THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS •

~•~


Christmas Eve. 2009.

The Doctor loved Christmas! Back when he was a wee Time Lord, the first place he ever landed was London on Christmas Eve. He promised himself he'd never miss another Christmas ever, but that promise went into the same pile as "Lose weight" and "Regenerate a better hairline" and "Stop leaving companions in other universes". But the Doctor had never quite gotten the hang of New Years'. (He once spent several hours commiserating on the similarity between the confusing nature of New Years and Thursdays with one Arthur Dent, who will sadly not be appearing in this piece of narrative. -editor)

But! Through all his travels in space and time, he still hadn't quite figured out what Christmas was for exactly. Except as a yearly excuse for turkey, too much wine, and plum pudding (all of which the Doctor approved of). This year, though, as he strode the streets on this wonderful Christmas Eve, the Doctor decided he would figure out exactly what Christmas was all about.

This may or may not have included use of a intergalactic manipulative detector and a full pack of radio stellar isotopian crystals. Oh, and a cup of hot chocolate. In a festively-coloured cup.

There was a lovely light snow, and the Doctor grinned madly at the stars. Christmas. This year, he was going to figure out what it was all about.


~•~

OOC: Open thread, feel free to tag in as if your character is a passerby or as if your character is a long-standing companion! I'll be working on this thread up until the New Year, most likely! Everyone from any verse (or no verse!) is welcome, just let me know if you'd prefer it from a community or specific universe! And, for this thread, threadhopping is totally welcome!

Happy Holidays, everyone! &hearts

Comments

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Snow," Jack said, warming his hands on the paper cup between his fingers.

He took a sip before going on. "There's never snow here, not at Christmas. Not like this. But this," he pointed at the falling white dots as though the Doctor needed directing to what he was talking about, "this is nice. Picturesque. Like one of those old post cards."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"It's not bad," the Doctor said, more interested in the screen in his hands than the pretty world outside. "Snow. Snow's part of Christmas, isn't it? Figured I'd land us somewhere where there was definitely snow, definitely working lights, definitely no alien attacks."

A pause.

"Well, I'm pretty sure on the last, at least."

[powered-otaku.livejournal.com]

"I suppose I am in a similar situation. After all, not being Christian, I suppose the whole 'true' meaning of Christmas is lost on me. New Year's, on the other hand, is very simple."

He blows a bit on the hot chocolate. He always has lots of little marshmallows in his.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Don't even have Christianity on my planet."

The Doctor absolutely approves of the excessive marshmallows. He has plenty in his, too. Unfortunately, juggling the crystals, detector, and chocolate has become a bit of a struggle.

"Well, New Years' is important to any time traveler like you and I," the Doctor said, gently nudging Hiro with his shoulder. "But little holidays for people like you and me, that's difficult."

[marthajonesmd.livejournal.com]

Martha ran to catch up with the Doctor - she'd invited him home to dinner with her family, but he had, perhaps wisely, declined, so she'd told him she'd meet back up with him later. And, well, it was later, and here she was, cheeks flushed with happiness (and perhaps some wine, followed by spiked eggnog), and sporting a festive Santa hat perched at a jaunty angle on her head.

She also had a present for him from her mum - two presents, actually, because Francine had also been full of the Christmas spirit (more spiked eggnog). Which, all right, didn't really qualify as much of a benefit, but Martha was chalking it up in that category anyway.

"You ever go Christmas carolling?" she asked him as she caught up with him, her breath making little white puffs in the air.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Christmas caroling?" the Doctor cringed at the very idea.

He did feel pretty relaxed from the number of glasses of eggnog and rum he'd let intoxicate him while he was building the bits of technology he had in his hands. But the very idea of caroling?

"Have you heard me sing in this incarnation?"

[best-served-hot.livejournal.com]

"You know, there's an easier way to go about finding out the true meaning of Christmas, my dear Doctor. It may terrify you though, it involves conversation," the Master began, leaning closer as he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Something you do with actual people."

He pulled his gloves out of one pocket, taking his time and fixing them on snugly.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Wasn't aware that was a specialty of yours," the Doctor said, raising a skeptical eyebrow. He looked back down at his gadgets, figuring they'd be a bit more bish-bosh at finding the things he needed to than any conversation might.

"Besides, people around this time are busy being with their families. Conversation's not the first thing on their minds. Probably not even the twenty-fifth thing on their minds."

[alicecarter.livejournal.com]

Alice hated Christmas. She always had, really. All of those adverts about families and togetherness just rubbed her the wrong way, and her mum was lapsed Catholic anyway, and no one hated Christmas more than lapsed Catholics. They'd done the Christmas thing, but it always seemed like the two of them were faking it.

For Stephen, Alice had done her best to fake it. And she'd been mostly succesful. This year, she didn't have to try.

...which didn't at all explain why it was that Alice was standing on a street corner next to a red bucket, waving a bell and wearing a Santa cap.

"Donate today," she said, doing her best not to sound put out. "Feed the homeless."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor spun around at the voice. Perfect! A person wearing a Santa cap, being particularly festive with a bell. She was proabably just the right sort of person to ask about Christmas!

He slipped up next to her and fished out a two-pound coin. He wasn't entirely sure what year it was from, but he doubted the donations would care.

He dropped it in. "Hello," he said. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

[forever-noble.livejournal.com]

She was busy blowing into her own cup of cocoa as she carefully made her way over to him, the heat from the cup warming her chilled fingers. It figured she'd leave her mittens in her other winter coat, though it did make ringing up home a great deal easier. Never could manage to press the right numbers while wearing those things. Couldn't help smiling though; she was in good company and, if the first sip was anything to judge, she had a good drink to top it all off. Now if she could only think of a gift for him.

"Glad to see you're grinning," she said, lightly bumping her shoulder against his. "D'you realise we could have a right and proper Christmas this time? No robot Santas or chases in taxis, and no particle things pulling me into the TARDIS? Not that Mum will have us round for dinner. Doesn't exactly trust you still, or so Gramps--" She cut herself off, finally noticing the device.

"Doctor," she said a little pointedly as her enthusiasm started to wane. "We are going to have a proper Christmas? Aren't we?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Course we are," the Doctor said, distracted by the buzzing and whirring of the device in his hands. "I've got you a present and everything."

Not that his bigger-on-the-inside pockets would give that away.

"But! The important thing about this Christmas is finding out the real meaning of Christmas and----" He made a face. "That's awful. Terrible! I can't believe it!"

[galeforcehero.livejournal.com]

Dorothy had a dog. A dog wearing a red bandanna around his neck on a leash. The dog was doing that curious dog thing, where they appear to human beings to be smiling, with their mouths open and their little doggy eyebrows lifted in apparent joy. His jaunty walk added to this appearance-- apparently, the dog likes snow just fine without any added protection on top of his own fluffy coat.

Dorothy was not quite so comfortable, but that's why the good lord made sheep: so people could make warm clothes out of them. She was suitably bundled in an emerald green colored peacoat, a grey knit hat perched on top of her head, and a matching scarf wrapped around her throat. Her smile was not nearly as wide as her dog's, but it was there nonetheless, especially as she stopped to bump shoulders with the Doctor.

"Cold as heck out here! Don't tell me you don't feel it." The dog sits obediently between the two, wagging his fluffy tail through the snow.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"I feel it," he said. "It's just not quite..." He made a face. "Heck-level for me. I spent a week on the Ood Sphere. Very little is heck-level after that."

The Doctor was not particularly fond of the dog, but he did like how it liked Dorothy, and therefore he couldn't think to tell her she couldn't have it. He just worried it would wee on the TARDIS at some point, and then they'd have some serious argument over it.

But, that worry would be later. "Christmas, though! I love Christmas!"

[marco-innocent.livejournal.com]

The little angel of death in human form looked up at the Doctor curiously, the cup of hot chocolate in his own hands looking big compared to his hands. He was as small as a child, but it was obvious by his eyes that he was much much MUCH older then that.

Maybe even older the the Doctor himself? No one knew that other then Marco himself.

"You are very sparingly clothed for such a cold night, sir" He said kindly, his cup filled with not only hot chocolate, but also big amounts of marshmallows and cream.

Snow was gathering in his heavy blonde curls, and his brown one brown and one blue eye looked up at the Doctor. "You should at least get a hat and gloves".

He looked the man in the eyes, and being who he was, he saw the numerous times he had died, and the ways he was going to die. But not being a human, meant that collecting his soul, was not Marco's job.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's not that bad for me," the Doctor said, distracted by his own hot chocolate and the device in his hand. He spared a quick glance over the rim of his glasses at the boy, and then looked back to his device.

Wait.

He looked back over his glasses again. The boy looked familiar, in the eyes. Very familiar. Like...someone he'd met before. But that wasn't possible, the Doctor didn't know this boy at all.

"Sorry. Merry Christmas," he said, feigning a wide smile.

[unit-girl.livejournal.com]

It was strange being back in London, never mind at Christmas. And it was snowing, which really didn't help convince the people that needed to be convinced that global warming was real. Personally, after spending her time living in a hot country, Jo would much rather it was at least ten degrees warmer, so was bundled up in so many layers she wasn't sure where she was any more.

Since she was keeping her head down out of the snow and hurrying along to keep warm and get out of the cold, she didn't see the man going in the opposite direction until she bumped into him.

"Oh, I am sorry."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"That's all right," the Doctor said, just catching his device before it tumbled into the snow. He really needed to invest in a utility belt of some sort, this was getting a bit ridiculous.

"Sorry, could you direct me to Queen street, I---"

Which was when he noticed the face of the woman he was speaking to. Jo Grant! Surely, it was Jo! He couldn't stop his wide grin.

[fromheavencame.livejournal.com]

[Have a companion!Gabriel]

It had been almost a year now, since he had met the Doctor. He'd come across the TARDIS and the Doctor one snowy evening in New York, and now they were back, in front of Rockefeller, Gabriel with his head tilted upwards to stare at the large tree.

Christmas was the only time from his childhood that he actually had truly good, good memories. It was the time that his mother would make about him, which is what made it good. She'd spoil him, essentially. Not only on Christmas morning, but throughout the entire holiday season. They would bake together, decorate the tree, go skating and so on. But what made it so special was that it was the time where she wouldn't nag him about having to do better with whatever he was doing. There wasn't school work to pressure him about as there was the rest of the year, even in summer as she pushed him to take extra classes from a young age. No, Christmas was about him, as he was, which was part of why he loved it.

"I suppose we could go for a sleigh ride, but that might be a bit awkward. The drivers tend to think all those who take one are a couple."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Well, that tends to happen with me and companions, you might want to get used to it," the Doctor said with a sniff. He did like Gabriel's mood since they'd arrived. It helped the Doctor focus on finding the Christmas spirit out there.

What was it that made his companion smile so widely? What was it in the air that made the whole season different? He'd find out!

[jellyhohoho.livejournal.com]

It's a curious suit. Sometimes it appears to be red plush with white fur trimming. Sometimes, it's brown furs, or tanned hides. Rarely, it's a long dark cloak and broad brimmed hat, tilted low to shadow one eye while the other glints, dark as the night, cold as the snow. He has had many forms and many names, and they shift and flow around him like eddies in an ocean.

There's nothing there when the man they call Christmas lifts his hand -- but when the gloved fist falls, it knocks against a wooden blue door, over the fading echoes of twisted time, and he laughs his deep belly laugh.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor, having gone back to the TARDIS for a few more energy crystals for his device, hadn't expected a knock on the door. Generally, knocks only occurred in the 1950s, when he forgot to put up the 'Out of Order' sign on the door. This? This was odd.

How many knocks was that? Panic hit the Doctor in the stomach. Four? Was it time? No, no, it sounded like three. Followed by a laugh.

Very odd.

Warily, he stepped towards the TARDIS door and slowly opened it. The man before him looked...odd. He was tall and thin, with a white beard, red trousers, and a green velvet jacket, with a black hat tilted over one eye. It was like time had bundled him together into one person. It was odd.

"Hello."

[amthebadwolf.livejournal.com]

((It'll be hard enough writing a Christmas-induced Master as it is, sooo you get Rose XD))

Before Rose ever met the Doctor, Christmas was about listening to her mum's guests gossip and occasionally fuss over her. Or, it was about work, which generally suited her best. She'd be one of the few who'd offer themselves to the fray of the day, and when her mum complained about her hours, she would insist that there was nothing she could do to get out of them.

Then of course, there was the Doctor, and her most memorable Christmas was after the Satellite 5 incident and him going and changing on her. Talk about a stressful, crazy Christmas Eve - but it all turned out good in the end, save for cleaning ash out of her hair.

Rose was cradling her own Styrofoam cup of hot chocolate between her hands when she found him, tongue in her cheek, sidling up besides him for extra warmth. "Is it bad that I'm expecting an alien invasion at any moment? 'spose it could be worse, though."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Should be expecting that, I think," the Doctor said, keeping his eyes on the detector. "Seems to be part of the Christmas spirit, where I'm concerned."

Not that he was figuring that into his very scientific analysis of the Christmas spirit and what, precisely, the whole season was all about. And it was fun, having Rose there with him. He hadn't let himself feel this much at home, this much like he belonged with anyone in a very, very long time.

Of course, upon glancing down into her cup, he grew a very petulant expression on his face. "Marshmallows!" he said. "How did you get marshmallows?"

[kirk-it.livejournal.com]

"When I was a kid, we used to go sledding in this kind of weather," Jim said. Her hot chocolate was laced with coffee, because not everybody needed as little sleep as the Doctor did, but the result was still festive. Especially with a candy cane for a stirrer.

When she stepped out onto a patch of newly-fallen snow, she rejudged her observation. "-Almost this kind of weather. Too powdery." Still, it gave her a warm, nostalgic feeling to know she could remember tidbits of information like that - connecting with her inner child, so to speak.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Rather Christmasy," the Doctor observed, taking a sip of his chocolate. "Sledding, snow, candy canes." He glanced over at hers with no small amount of envy. "But what's it all mean, exactly? Why does Christmas bring out the wintery goodness that other winter holidays can't?"

To the Doctor this was all a very logical line of questioning. He grumbled a little under his breath and tapped on his device. Wasn't working. Hm.

[oldoldghost.livejournal.com]

...Snow.

...Right, snow- Brigitta has never really seen snow before. If it happened in her childhood it got lost under everything that happened before; and she was still in a fairly warm climate for Christmas last year so snow didn't really feature. But now she is travelling in a TARDIS with a rather old alien and so can see this sort of thing.

...It really says a lot for her that she's a lot more perturbed by the snow than the time travel.

So, yes, she shall be standing fairly close to the Doctor and watching the sky warily; in a rather unsure sort of way "does this usually happen at this time of year?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Not in this part of the world," the Doctor says with a grin. "But! I managed to land us in a time where it did. And today, of all days, it's a good day for snow."

Christmas Eve. The Doctor loved Christmas. He especially loved spending it with people he cared about, like Brigitta. He offered her some of his hot chocolate.

[dreams-in-red.livejournal.com]

[have not!companion Lucy, if you so wish!]

"You're being silly," Lucy finally said, as she finished her hot chocolate and looked around for a bin to chuck the empty cup in. She'd been trailing not-quite-behind the Doctor in silence ever since they'd left the TARDIS. "You can't discover the meaning of Christmas with one of your little toys."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's not as if you're being helpful at all." The Doctor was not in the most fantastic of moods when it came to Lucy. The last Christmas they'd spent together had been on board the Valiant, and he wasn't happy about it then.

Still, he had to give her a chance, right?

Right?

[tastefulfashion.livejournal.com]

The hot chocolate had been left untouched, the Time Lady preferring to bury her hands into the pockets of her coat. With collar pulled up high and a scarf wrapped securely around her neck Romana only looked up to the sky, her expression lacking any sort of reaction.

Sparing just a glance to the Doctor she sighed. "Honestly, Doctor, why is it that you trouble yourself with these silly little human holidays? From what I can see it's nothing more than an excuse for commercial sales and increased profits for business and companies alike. Everything seems to be marketable." And to her, it made it all dreadfully boring, not to mention a waste of time.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"It's not that silly," the Doctor said with a small, petulant sniff. He took a sip of his hot chocolate and toyed about with the device in his hands.

"Sure, it's a bit commericalized by this point in history. But you can't deny the air of good feeling, the actual spirit of Christmas. Oooh! It's all but permeated every fiber of the whole planet this time of year!"

[alan-skater-boy.livejournal.com]

Alan has no idea how he had managed to keep any of his Christmas spirit over the past two days since he and Maria had landed in London. Of course, he had given himself several stern lectures, all of which centered around the basic premise that if he couldn't stand up to the women in his life, then he deserved what he got.

Chrissie had wanted Maria to come home and spend Christmas with her and Ivan. Which was sort of all right with him. He would've missed her, but he didn't blame Chrissie for wanting to spend the holidays with her only child. It was his own fault for taking a job so far away, after all. Even if Chrissie was the one with all her own family, plus Ivan, all about her and he'd be the one stuck in a strange and generally not-too-welcoming place without even the consolation of starting new Christmas traditions with Maria. But he could have dealt with, like he had dealt with his share of the lumps over the past few years.

The first sign of trouble had arrived over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with Maria worrying over how he would spend Christmas in Washington. He had tried to assure her that he would be absolutely fine, but he'd never been able to lie to her. One would think that his position as her father would have closed the subject right then and there. Then again, this was Alan Jackson and Maria was one of the women in his life.

The trouble had deepened at the close of the next week when he received two phone messages. One from Chrissie and one from his own mother.

With all his women causing this amount of trouble, he found it hard to believe that he had gotten away for an early-morning jog.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

Washington! The Doctor always meant to spend Christmas in America at some point. They didn't have turkey here on Christmas, but that was all right. He parked the TARDIS on DC side of 495 and started wandering the Mall.

The Doctor hadn't even noticed the jogger running towards him, his eyes down on his device. Well, not until he started at a jog towards the psychic signal on the device and ran smack dab into the person in front of him.

"Ow! Sorry!"

[will-i-heck.livejournal.com]

Wilf spotted the familiar sight of the Doctor in the distance, and hurried over to him. He was wrapped up warm against the cold, as usual. "Snow in London this time of year means it's going to be a cold winter," he said, puffing slightly as he fell in step beside the Doctor.


Late gatecrasher, I know...

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"At least it's real snow this year," the Doctor said, giving Wilf a smile as he approached. He should've been surprised to see him, he supposed, but time never worked the same way for Donna and her family as it did for the others the Doctor knew.

And it was a relief, having someone there with him.

"Big family plans for tomorrow?"

[hofficoffi.livejournal.com]

Suddenly, a large black SUV (cue the Torchwood theme) turned the corner at rather high speeds--but instead of barrelling on by, as it seemed poised to, it pulled up to the curb. In what was in no way a legal parking space.

Ianto closed the door with a little more force than necessary. He had been well on his way to the Hub when Jack called and and asked if he could please bring coffee and pastries back with him.

To anyone else, Ianto might have said no. But it was Jack, it was Christmas, and the shop was on the way.

He turned up the collar on his coat, hoping the wool would do something to keep his neck warm, and glanced up at the falling snow. Christmas Eve. Well, Cardiff wasn't London, at least. He might even get to stay in bed come morning.

ooc: Hope you don't mind...?

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor looked over his machine at the SUV. The word Torchwood was engraved on the side. Very subtle, that. Still, the Doctor did like a flair for the dramatic, and that was exactly that. Which one of Jack's team was it this time? Ah! That Ianto bloke. The Doctor had gotten to know Gwen's ancestor years prior, but he never did get to properly meet Ianto.

As he opened his mouth to say a greeting, the machine in his hands bleeped loudly, and he turned it towards the SUV. Another bleep. Psychic interference? In there?

"Carrying anything from the Greterica Cluster, Mr. Jones?" the Doctor called over.

OOC: Of course! =D

buy facebook likes cheap bi

[(Anonymous)]

how to buy facebook likes
buy guaranteed facebook fans
buy bulk facebook fans

buy facebook likes cheap facebook likes buy
(http://mohnfahsai.com/webboard/index.php?action=profile;u=176556) buy bulk facebook fans buy facebook page likes
_________________
buy targeted facebook likes [url=http://pointcast.webs.com/apps/profile/77098273/]buy cheap facebook fans[/url] facebook likes buy buy cheap facebook fans